In 2012,
the Clemson rowing team finished the season ranked #20 and just missed making
the NCAA Championships for what would have been the fifth straight season.
Heading into this season, the Tigers are working even harder to get back to the
NCAA Championships in 2013.

"We
finished 20th in the country last year, which wasn't where we wanted to be,"
said Clemson Head Coach Robbie Tenenbaum. "I think the team has worked on just
becoming more fit and more technically focused. Our fitness has been able to
carry our speed down the racecourse but I think we have had a renewed emphasis
on our technique to propel us down the course. I think the two have made a big
difference and it is mostly coming from our student-athletes. They are incredibly
motivated, especially the seniors, who want to make sure that they end their
careers at the NCAA Championships and they are not going to be denied."

The Tigers
competed in two regattas in the fall season, where they recorded three
first-places finishes in five races. That success gave the team some confidence
and momentum heading into the spring.

"Fall was
outstanding for us," Tenenbaum said. "We did some things differently this fall.
We held everyone really accountable and to a higher standard and everyone
responded really well. We put some time standards on the rowing machine in
order to be allowed to travel and race and nobody wanted to be left out so
everyone really stepped up.

"We had a
great result at the Head of the Oklahoma and beat a strong Stanford team, which
gave everyone a big boost. Overall, we had a competitive fall season which gave
everyone confidence and set everyone up to train harder throughout the fall and
into the winter."

The 2012-13
version of the rowing team features 30 returning letterwinners with the
addition of 31 newcomers to give the Tiger team a good mix of youth and
experience. Clemson also returns its entire coaching staff from last season.
Tenenbaum returns for his third season as head coach of the rowing program and
fifth season overall. Assistant Coaches Jessica Leidecker and Melanie Onufrieff
return for their third and second seasons respectively.

"Anytime
you can have great leaders, especially at the top of the program, it really
helps. Right now, in the 1st Varsity 8, we have a senior coxswain in Katie
Bruggeling along with Heather Cummings, Ameerah Aly and Kate Biladeau, which are
all seniors. It really helps to have that maturity level in the 1V8."

From a
lineup perspective, the Tigers return seven of eight rowers and the coxswain in
the 1st Varsity 8+ from last season. In the 2nd Varsity 8+, six of the eight
rowers and the coxswain return from the 2011-12 team. With so many returners,
the competition to claim spots in the top two boats is high.

"I think
our team is a bit better this year," said Tenenbaum. "We have more people
fighting to get into the 1st Varsity 8 and we have never really had that
before. We have had kind of a big separation between the 1st Varsity 8 and our
2nd Varsity 8. Now, we have a lot of people fighting to get into the 1V8 and
the 2V8 and I think that bodes well for us as we try to be more competitive at
the upper end."

The Tigers
will look to fill the Varsity 4+ boats with younger talent this season. The 1st
Varsity 4+ won an ACC Championship last season but return only the coxswain
from that crew.

"The Varsity
4's are doing fine. We are working hard to develop some of our younger
student-athletes to race in that event. Our novices are also doing a really
great job this year and they have been able to push the Varsity 4's and help us
stay competitive in that event."

The 2012-13
roster will also feature 13 international student-athletes from six different
countries.

"It helps
program tremendously to have these international student-athletes. They kids
come in and have great experience. They are coming so far to do this and they
are highly motivated and it helps the competitiveness of the team. It also helps
create a good atmosphere on the team because we have people from all over the
state, all over the country, and all over the world and that makes for a unique
and special dynamic."

Clemson will face a schedule that features
nine teams that competed in the NCAA Championships in 2012. The Tigers will open the season with three
straight home regattas starting with Duke and Eastern Michigan on March 9. The
Tigers will then face Boston University, Indiana, Purdue and Syracuse on March
16 and Alabama and Marist on March 23, both on Lake Hartwell.

The Tigers
will then go on the road for two straight regattas. Clemson will travel to
Redwood Shores, California, on March 30 and 31 to take on California, Oregon
State and Stanford. Two weeks later, they will travel to Cambridge,
Massachusetts, to face Boston University, Darmouth and Yale on April 13.
Clemson will then host 19 teams in the Clemson Invite on Lake Hartwell on April
20 and 21.

"We are
really excited about the upcoming season," Tenenbaum said. "We have a lot of
high quality opponents on our schedule. I think we race nine teams that were at
were in the field of 16 at the NCAA Championships last season so we know we are
going to be challenged week in and week out. We are just excited to be able to
have the skill to put ourselves up against the top teams in the country and
give ourselves a chance."

Clemson
will then host the ACC Championships on Lake Hartwell for the fourth straight
year and the 11th time overall. In 2012, the Tigers finished second as a team
and took an ACC Championship in the Varsity 4+ race.

"We just
have a great place to row," said Tenenbaum. "It's the best place to row in the
conference. It's only place in the ACC where you can host a six-lane boat race.
I think the other teams like coming here as well because it is a very fair
course no matter what the conditions are. "

Following
the ACC Championships, the Tigers will look to earn a bid to the NCAA
Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana from May 31 to June 2. With their mix of
experience and youth, the Tiger rowing squad hopes to make yet another
appearance in the NCAA Championships.